Rolling doll eye mounted on an askew axis

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a doll eye unit wherein the eyeball has a side to side or rolling motion. The unit has a front shell with a front visibility opening or aperture, and in which is pivotally mounted an eyeball having a pivotal axis at tilted angle to a horizontal plane but contained in a vertical plane parallel to the general plane of the front opening. The eyeball is weighted in the usual manner for rolling eyes. Accordingly, due to the uniquely angularly disposed axis of the eyeball and the weight bias, the eyeball will have an initial visible portion oriented toward one side of the front opening through which it is visible to the viewer. By thus providing a pair of eyes in a doll head with initial rotation bias always toward one side of the respective front apertures, the eyeballs will move in synchronization when the head is tilted from an erect position to reverse the tilt of the eyeball axis.

nited States Patent 1151 3,664,959 Leibowitz [4 r y 23, 1972 [54] ROLLING DOLL EYE MOUNTED ON AN 2,963,818 12/1960 Brudney ..46/169 A ASKEW AXIS [72] Inventor: William Leibowitz, Flushing, NY. [73] Assignee: Dollac Division Jacoby-Bender, lnc., Woodside, Queens, NY.

[22] Filed: Mar. 15, 1967 [21] Appl. No.: 623,250

[5 2] U.S. CI ..46/167 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 3/40 [58] Field ofSearch ..46/167, 168, 162, 164, 165, 46/135, 169 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,039,928 5/1936 Popovich ..46/l68 2,931,138 4/1960 Brudney... ....46/l67 1,309,191 7/1919 Denes ....46/168 2,777,250 1/1957 Samo et a1. 6/168 X Primary Examiner-Barry F. Shay AttorneyAlbert M. Zalkind ABSTRACT The invention provides a doll eye unit wherein the eyeball has a side to side or rolling motion. The unit has a front shell with a front visibility opening or aperture, and in which is pivotally mounted an eyeball having a pivotal axis at tilted angle to a horizontal plane but contained in a vertical plane parallel to the general plane of the front opening. The eyeball is weighted in the usual manner for rolling eyes. Accordingly, due to the uniquely angularly disposed axis of the eyeball and the weight bias, the eyeball will have an initial visible portion oriented toward one side of the front opening through which it is visible to the viewer. By thus providing a pair of eyes in a doll head with initial rotation bias always toward one side of the respective front apertures, the eyeballs will move in synchronization when the head is tilted from an erect position to reverse the tilt of the eyeball axis.

9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented May 23, 1972 INVENTOR W/L L lAM LE/BOW/TZ FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention resides in the doll art wherein doll heads are provided with movable eyes; in this case the eyes being movable in a horizontal plane so as to give a rolling or flirting effect, and such eyes are normally referred to as rolling eyes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Reference is made to the prior art US. Pat. No. to Brudney, 2,931,138, having a construction similar to the present invention except for the fact that the eyeball axes are vertical and there is no initial bias rolling the eyes to look in one direction. The eyes are rolled by rotation of the head and frequently lose synchronization, an undesirable effect. Thus, the eyes may cross or they may look outwardly in differing directions. Various prior art develppments tilt the eyeball axes in vertical planes, initially, with respect to a horizontal plane, but such tilting is from front to rear rather than from left to right as in the present invention and do not have the initial biasing effect of the present invention. Other prior art developments provide for a mechanical linkage between the eyeballs to insure synchronization.

The present invention overcomes the lack of synchronization or the need for extra parts to produce synchronization and makes it possible to provide a pair of eyes for a walking doll which roll as the doll walks, due to the natural tilting of the head from one side to the other as each step is taken.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention utilizes what has heretofore been known as a rolling eye construction, generally shown in the Brudney patent as aforementioned, wherein modification has been introduced from a construction standpoint as shown in another Brudney US. Pat. No. 2,963,818. The principal and inventive change over Brudney Pat. No. 2,931,138 is the provision ofa front shell with an eyeball having a trunnion mount, i.e., mounted on trunnions therein and the front to rear axis of the front shell being in a horizontal plane with the axis of the eyeball being in a vertical plane which is normal to the front to rear axis, but wherein the trunnion axis is displaced approximately angularly from the vertical plane which contains the front to rear axis. By weight biasing the eyeball in the manner shown in Brudney US. Pat. No. 2,931,138, an initial bias effect is produced so that such an eye unit normally looks toward one side of the eye opening when the doll head in which it is placed is vertical. By providing two identical units of that type in a doll head, the eyeballs will remain in synchronization at all times. The visibility openings of the front shells are cut so that they appear properly oriented despite the fact that the eyeball axes are slanted from left to right.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front view of a doll eye unit illustrating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, partial cross section taken medially through FIG. 1 in the vertical plane V-V and looking in the direction of the arrow A;

FIG. 3 is an exterior view of the eyeball with its integral trunnions and weight;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross section through the eyeball in the horizontal plane H-H of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates an erect doll head with two eye units of the invention incorporated therein showing the initially biased position looking off to one side; and

FIG. 6 illustrates the doll head as tilted showing the rolled effect of the eyeballs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the doll eye unit comprises a housing having a rear shell 6 and a front shell 10 having the generally oval shaped opening 14 through which the eyeball 17, having an iris 19 and pupil 22, are visible. The eyeball is of plastic and has integrally molded arms such as 25 between which is carried a biasing weight 28, and trunnions 30 at diametrically opposed points, all integrally molded.

The eyeball as thus far described is substantially the same as shown in the aforementioned Brudney patent 2,931,138 and reference is made thereto for construction details not described herein.

In the description which follows, various geometric planes are mentioned designated by reference characters. It will be understood that such planes are manifested by their traces where they intersect the plane of the paper as illustrated on the drawing. For examples, the phantom line HH in FIG. 1 is the trace of a horizontal plane and the phantom line V-V is the trace of a vertical plane, both planes being normal to the plane of the paper.

The front shell 10 is provided with trunnion housings 35 which provide a pivotal axis TT for the eyeball which is displaced by an angle K from the vertical plane indicated as the trace or line askew V-V. Obviously, the axis TT is askew from the horizontal plane indicated as the trace or line H-I-l and is disposed in a vertical plane indicated as the trace or line V,V generally parallel to the opening 14. This latter vertical plane is normal to the front to rear axis O-O, the housing axis, which coincides with the axis P-P of the pupil 22 when the pupil is aligned centrally with respect to the opening 14, a position it would assume momentarily in the course of rolling from one side to the other.

The front shell may be made of sheet metal with stamped trunnion housings so as to retain the trunnions therein in precisely the same manner as shown in Brudney patent 2,963,818, and reference is made thereto for construction details not described herein.

The initial tilting angle K may be of the order of 56, which has been found entirely practical, although it will be un derstood that a larger range is usable, for example, from 4 1 0 depending upon the coefficient friction of the trunnions, the mass of the weight, the inertia of the eyeball and arms, etc. Accordingly, the invention is not restricted to any particular angle, any angle for axis TT as will achieve the desired effect being suitable, but such angle is required to be non-perpendicular to a horizontal plane when units of the invention are in a vertically disposed doll head as shown in FIG. 5. In other words, the trunnion axis is tilted relative the side to side dimension of the opening 14.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 4 and 6, it will be understood that if the eye unit is tilted (FIG. 6) so as to reverse the angularity of the axis TT to the position T,T with respect to the horizontal plane, the weight will swing in a counterclockwise direction (FIG. 4) and the eyeball will then swing so as to appear to be looking through the opening 14 at the opposite side thereof, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1. In effecting the rolling, the trace line of plane I-I-H rotates counterclockwise for an angle 2K about axis 0-0, as viewed in FIG. 1, to a position whereat axis T-T is oriented to position T,T and the eyeball 17 takes the phantom position shown with respect to the now tilted opening 14. The iris 22 always appears to move on line H-H because that line is rotated out of the horizontal plane counterclockwise to the same extent of rotation that axis TT is rotated to position T T,. From a purely geometric standpoint, the iris moves in a plane normal to the trunnion axis TT which is at that angle to line I-I-H determined by the value of angle K. However, angle K is small so that the geometric deviation between the path of the iris in relation to line HH is actually imperceptible and the effect of the movement to the eye of the viewer is that it moves on line HI-l.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the effect of incorporating a pair of doll eye units in a doll head will be evident. In FIG. 5 the initial orientation of the eyes is shown with the head erect, i.e., vertical, and the original tilt axes TT of the eyes at an angle to the vertical plane VV and, of course, such that a biased sidewise position of the eyes is effected. However, by tilting the doll head as shown in FIG. 6 so that the axis TT has the position TT, the rolling effect to the opposite sides of the respective front shell openings will be apparent.

In order to compensate for the tilt angle K, to preserve proper appearance, the oval opening 14 of each unit is cut so that the major and minor axes are, as usual, horizontal and vertical. Thus, the simple change of the positions of the trunnion housings 35 accounts for the effects and advantages of the invention.

Iclaim:

l. A rolling doll eye comprising an eyeball support member having an opening with sides corresponding to the sides of a natural eye opening, a rotative eyeball; trunnion means mounting said eyeball on said support member in a position providing a rotational axis for said eyeball for rolling sidewise movement visible through said opening; bias means operative on said eyeball for effecting said movement; said trunnion axis having a position askew of a horizontal plane when said doll eye is erect such that said eyeball is maintained biased in one sidewise direction; whereby tilting of said doll eye to reverse relative to a vertical axis the position of said trunnion axis biases said eyeball in the opposite direction.

2. A doll eye as set forth in claim 1, and in combination therewith an identical doll eye; a doll head both said doll eyes being mounted in said doll head.

3. A doll eye as set forth in claim I, wherein the angle of the askew position of said trunnion axis is in a range of from 4 to from vertical.

4. A doll eye as set forth in claim 1, wherein the angle of the askew position of said trunnion axis is from 5 to 6 from vertical.

S. A doll eye comprising a housing member having a front to rear axis, a rotative eyeball therein, trunnion means mounting said eyeball in said member and providing a rotational axis for said eyeball, said housing member having an opening with a maximum side to side dimension and through which opening said eyeball is visible, bias means operative on said eyeball to effect rotational bias thereoflaterally from side to side of said opening about said trunnion axis, said trunnion axis being tilted with respect to the side to side dimension of said opening when said doll eye is erect and said dimension horizontal, said eyeball being thus biased to an initial position toward one of the sides of said opening whereby tilting of said doll eye about said front to rear axis in a direction toward said one side effects rotational movement of said eyeball toward the opposite side.

6. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, and in combination therewith an identical doll eye; both said doll eyes being mounted in a doll head.

7. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, wherein said opening is oval and having a major axis in a horizontal plane when said doll eye is erect; and wherein said trunnion axis is tilted with respect to the side to side dimension of said opening at an angle of from 4 to 10 from vertical.

8. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, wherein said opening is oval and has a major axis in a horizontal plane as said side to side dimension when such housing member is erect.

9. A rolling doll eye having an eyeball support means including an opening; said opening having left and right sides; a rotative eyeball and said support means having a trunnion mount rotatively carrying said eyeball for reversible rolling movement between said left and right sides and said movement being visible through said opening; movable gravity bias means operative on said eyeball for effecting said movement; said trunnion mount having an axis disposed in an initially slanted position with respect to a vertical plane intersecting said opening when said support means is in an initial and normally erect position, so as to maintain said bias means initially disposed in one direction whereby said eyeball is maintained in an initial position rolled toward one of the sides of said opening; tilting of said support means to reverse the slanted position of said trunnion axis relative to said vertical plane biasing said eyeball in the opposite direction toward the other side of said opening; said sides being at the same initial level relative to a horizontal plane when said support means is erect and effecting a tilted relationship relative said horizontal plane when said support means is tilted, whereby the rolling movement of said eyeball occurs when said axis is motivated angularly through said vertical plane; including an identical eye in combination therewith; said support means of said eyes com prising a doll head with said openings therein, both of said doll eyes being mounted in said doll head with the initially tilted axes ofthe respective trunnion mounts substantially parallel. 

1. A rolling doll eye comprising an eyeball support member having an opening with sides corresponding to the sides of a natural eye opening, a rotative eyeball; trunnion means mounting said eyeball on said support member in a position providing a rotational axis for said eyeball for rolling sidewise movement visible through said opening; bias means operative on said eyeball for effecting said movement; said trunnion axis having a position askew of a horizontal plane when said doll eye is erect such that said eyeball is maintained biased in one sidewise direction; whereby tilting of said doll eye to reverse relative to a vertical axis the position of said trunnion axis biases said eyeball in the opposite direction.
 2. A doll eye as set forth in claim 1, and in combination therewith an identical doll eye; a doll head both said doll eyes being mounted in said doll head.
 3. A doll eye as set forth in claim 1, wherein the angle of the askew position of said trunnion axis is in a range of from 4* to 10* from vertical.
 4. A doll eye as set forth in claim 1, wherein the angle of the askew position of said trunnion axis is from 5* to 6* from vertical.
 5. A doll eye comprising a housing member having a front to rear axis, a rotative eyeball therein, trunnion means mounting said eyeball in said member and providing a rotational axis for said eyeball, said housing member having an opening with a maximum side to side dimension and through which opening said eyeball is visible, bias means operative on said eyeball to effect rotational bias thereof laterally from side to side of said opening about said trunnion axis, said trunnion axis being tilted with respect to the side to side dimension of said Opening when said doll eye is erect and said dimension horizontal, said eyeball being thus biased to an initial position toward one of the sides of said opening whereby tilting of said doll eye about said front to rear axis in a direction toward said one side effects rotational movement of said eyeball toward the opposite side.
 6. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, and in combination therewith an identical doll eye; both said doll eyes being mounted in a doll head.
 7. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, wherein said opening is oval and having a major axis in a horizontal plane when said doll eye is erect; and wherein said trunnion axis is tilted with respect to the side to side dimension of said opening at an angle of from 4* to 10* from vertical.
 8. A doll eye as set forth in claim 5, wherein said opening is oval and has a major axis in a horizontal plane as said side to side dimension when such housing member is erect.
 9. A rolling doll eye having an eyeball support means including an opening; said opening having left and right sides; a rotative eyeball and said support means having a trunnion mount rotatively carrying said eyeball for reversible rolling movement between said left and right sides and said movement being visible through said opening; movable gravity bias means operative on said eyeball for effecting said movement; said trunnion mount having an axis disposed in an initially slanted position with respect to a vertical plane intersecting said opening when said support means is in an initial and normally erect position, so as to maintain said bias means initially disposed in one direction whereby said eyeball is maintained in an initial position rolled toward one of the sides of said opening; tilting of said support means to reverse the slanted position of said trunnion axis relative to said vertical plane biasing said eyeball in the opposite direction toward the other side of said opening; said sides being at the same initial level relative to a horizontal plane when said support means is erect and effecting a tilted relationship relative said horizontal plane when said support means is tilted, whereby the rolling movement of said eyeball occurs when said axis is motivated angularly through said vertical plane; including an identical eye in combination therewith; said support means of said eyes comprising a doll head with said openings therein, both of said doll eyes being mounted in said doll head with the initially tilted axes of the respective trunnion mounts substantially parallel. 